Census Research Guide: 1870

Census Bureau's "By Decade" website

Includes a variety of publications, questionnaires, datasets, and more

• 1870

Highlights

• 9th decennial census
• US population: 39,818,449 (revised count)
• California population: 560,247
• First census taken after the 13th amendment abolished slavery.
• First census to fully record information on the black population.

Questions asked (see questionnaire)

Name; age; sex; race; occupation; value of real estate; value of personal estate; place of birth; whether parents were foreign born; month of birth if born within the year; month of marriage if married within the year; school attendance; literacy; whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic; male citizens 21 and over, and number of such persons denied the right to vote for other than rebellion. Supplemental schedules for persons who died during the year; paupers; prisoners.

For more information:

Find all 1870 census publications in the Library.

Key publications: